Once a beacon, Church Pen Cemetery now darkened by neglect

Approaching the Church Pen Cemetery in Old Harbour, St Catherine, the well-kept vaults at the entrance to the facility give the impression of a well-maintained public cemetery.

However, the ambience changes drastically halfway down the narrow pathway that leads further into the burial ground that was once a public pride to citizens of St Catherine, some of whom still have existing burial spots reserved, despite the closure by the St Catherine Municipal Corporation because of a lack of space.

The sight of overgrown shrubs covering some graves, and a dense growth of bushes in most sections pose some element of danger to persons who, from time to time, visit the burial ground in search of the vaults of love ones who were laid to rest there.

But with the closure, the facility is not being properly maintained.

Caretaker of the cemetery, Dennis Campbell, who now hangs around mainly to assist persons to locate the graves of their loved ones, said the lack of maintenance is posing serious problems for persons who return occasionally to memorialise their dead.

“You have people who come here from all over the world who remember their loved ones on birthdays, Mother’s Day, anniversaries and so on, but because of the overgrowth, it is very difficult for them to see, much less to identify the graves,” Campbell told The Gleaner.

IDENTIFYING GRAVES

“The ‘rice and peas bush’ is a nuisance to them because it covers the graves and when they cannot identify the graves, it is hard for me to find them, because this is a big place. The cassia macka also poses a problem and there are a whole lot here,” he said.

“Most of the people them don’t know where their loved ones are located and there was not a system of marking the graves, so the majority of them don’t have marks.”

Campbell continued, “It is very difficult for the people, so if there was a routine cleaning of the cemetery, it would be easier for them to locate the grave. I really feel bad for them when they come here and can’t find their loved ones’ graves because of the overgrown bushes.

“I do my very best to help them, but sometimes I can’t, and they leave feeling extremely disappointed. Furthermore, I started working here only 14 years ago and a lot of people were buried before my time, so it is hard for me to find these graves,” Campbell said.

Genore Graham, whose father was laid to rest in the cemetery some 20-plus years ago, lamented how he is affected by not being able to see his father’s grave because of it being covered with shrubs.

“I would love to know that mi can just walk and go see mi father grave, but right now mi can’t even find it. Mi would love to go sweep around it, sit on it and hold a reasoning, but because they stop maintaining the place, this can’t happen,” he lamented.

Graham said the municipal corporation should still see to the maintenance of the facility, despite it being closed down.

“A just clean dem fi clean it. Mi not saying them fi clean it every day, but when it a come on to holiday, them must clean it up,” Graham said.

Meanwhile, someone who operates a business near the cemetery told The Gleaner that since the municipal corporation closed the cemetery two and a half years ago, no debushing has been done.

“I am here every day since they closed it down and the only maintenance I see is when the people whose relatives are buried close to the entrance come from time to time and clean up the vault of their people, nothing more. The rest of the cemetery is like a forest,” he said.

When contacted, chief executive officer of the St Catherine Municipal Corporation, Andre Griffiths, declined to respond to our queries.

editorial@gleanerjm.com